MonthJune 2014

The world-famous Red Bull Soapbox Race is coming to our hometown this summer, and we have a shot at being one of 40 teams angling for glory. This got us to thinking: What can this crazy-creative, adrenaline-filled, crowd-pleasing event teach us about presentations?

You can spin through it in less time than it’ll take us to (fingers crossed) steer our oversized origami crane down Yesler Way toward the finish line. If you like our tips, you can help us secure a spot in the lineup by tweeting the Haiku Deck, or posting your favorite slide to Instagram, using the hashtag #TeamHaikuDeck.

As always, your support is the wind beneath our colorful paper wings!

P.S. If you’re really in the mood to send a little love to #TeamHaikuDeck — who is working really hard to make your presentations speedier to create and save across all your devices — you can also vote for us in the Tabby Awards Users’ Choice awards. (Just search for “Haiku Deck” on the page, then scroll down a bit to click the red bar that says Haiku Deck.)

Free Themes for Presentations

Haiku Deck themes keep your decks looking stylish and cohesive from beginning to end, with a professionally designed combination of font, image filter, and color palette for your charts and graphs. Haiku Deck’s twenty free themes are available in both the Haiku Deck iPad app, and the Haiku Deck Web App.

To find the themes, just look for the FONTS/THEMES button in the top center of the Haiku Deck editor.

Volterra

Zip around in style with this theme’s classic curves and clean lines. Optional image filter makes colors bright and warm, like a favorite Pucci scarf. For jaunty journals or the perfect panini recipe, live La Vita Bella with Volterra.

Picaresque

The stylish sepia wash captures the imagination and steals the scene like a charmingly roguish hero. Whether you’re building out the backstory, presenting a retrospective, or bringing a magical new idea to life, Picaresque is pitch perfect. Available in both upper and lower case.

Origami

Every colorful crane starts with a simple square of paper. This crisp, lighthearted theme with optional shadow-border filter is ideal for illustrating a blog post, enlivening a meeting agenda, or sending a personal message that’s truly a work of art.

Cinematic

Walk your big idea down the red carpet with this sweeping theme. Whether you’re storyboarding a script, thanking your supporters, or projecting your grand vision, Cinematic is the star of the show. Optional filter teases out the greens for a cinematographer’s touch.

Zissou

Chart your course and explore new depths of meaning with this boldly exquisite theme. Zissou is perfect for presenting a plan, telling a mesmerizing story, and sharing highlights from your adventures, undersea or otherwise.

Iditarod

Bold curves paired with flowing script make this bracing theme an all-season winner. Chill the image tones with optional muted filter. When you’re rallying your team or pitching for a place in the race, you’ll glide to a strong finish with Iditarod.

Foundry

Hardworking and tough, Foundry rolls up its sleeves to make your words pop more strongly. In this theme your words do the heavy lifting, while images fade to the background in a sturdy wash of color. Inspired by work shirts, tool sets, and hard hats, this theme says it’s ok to sweat over a great idea.

Starship

When it’s time to plot your course to the future, this theme takes you there at warp speed. Starship engages everyone’s inner geek and puts bold mission statements (or ship’s logs, for that matter) in your command.

Underdog

Get the crowd chanting your name with this hard-working theme that’s overflowing with scrappy heart. If you’re proclaiming your manifesto or rallying a roomful, Underdog is in your corner. Optional black-and-white filter for maximum punch.

Kalamazoo

When you need a no-nonsense, straight-shooting look with just the right mix of magic and mettle, this theme won’t let you down. For stand-out status reports or noteworthy lecture recaps, tell it how it is with Kalamazoo. Optional filter boosts the mood with bluish tones.

Tabletop

This theme, crisp and clean as a well-chilled pinot grigio, pairs perfectly with precise language and tasty images. When you’re serving up meeting notes, spicing up a list, or selling your daily special, choose Tabletop to set the table with style.

Novella

This evocative theme with optional saturated filter is a colorful canvas for vivid verbs, punchy adjectives, and broad strokes. Set the stage, illustrate your brand values, and tell your stories like a literary legend with Novella.

Lucha

Give the same-old the smackdown with this exuberant theme that’s more colorful than a Tijuana dive bar. Grab Lucha to give the play-by-play of a larger-than-life event or to craft a visual resume that showcases your singular style.

Orwell

Champion your cause and exert mind control with this compelling theme. Wherever your vision falls on the dystopian-to-utopian scale, speak the truth and cultivate your own cult of personality with Orwell. Optional fade filter maximizes the mood.

Strangelove

The premier loves surprises, and so does your audience. Stop worrying and learn to love fist-shaking speeches with this roundly retro theme (sepia filter optional). When you’re in the hot seat for think tank findings, conspiracy theories, or war room briefings, let Strangelove be your fail-safe.

Illuminati

Originally a secret theme only available by knowing a code to enter in the app, Illuminati is now available on the web and the iPad app. Shed light on mysterious subjects with the optional vignette filter. Build intrigue with the strong, old-world serif font face. When you want to draw in a crowd or keep your audience awaiting each slide with bated breath, Illuminati is the theme for you.